There are two ways to sleep well at night ... be ignorant or be prepared.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Change is inevitable … Are you ready?

By JC Refuge

Change is inevitable. It's always been so, yet rarely has
"progress" been so strenuously dramatic as what we are experiencing
in the 21st century.

Change in and of itself causes fear and resistance in most
people. We are creatures of habit and we all develop our own little comfort
zones from which we view and interpret the world around us. Normally, we can
remain largely in control of at least that personal space so that the changes
which otherwise encroach all around us are taken on at a manageable pace.

The key to the success of that kind of personal dynamic is
that others out there are not too aggressive or insistent on us to change our
ways before we are ready to. This allows us to feel that we retain our freedom
of choice ... even if the only choice is whether to get on board now or later.

History Suddenly
Morphs

Yet personal choice is not always a given. Human history
tends to periodically convulse, usually in the form of violent conflict. These
historical mile markers show up when the world as it was, is no longer.
Contemporary populations are forced to adapt to explosively overpowering
realities. World War II comes to mind as a fairly recent example.

Today, revolutionary levels of technological advancement,
global access to the new technologies, resulting oppressive multi-cultural
compression, and good-old-fashioned human nature in the form of resistance to
change, create a volatile mix that seemingly must ignite and explode before it
will clear off.

Virtually nothing today in the world is as it was 25 years
ago--certainly not international ethnic attitudes, with emerging hatreds of
every flavor competing daily for highest-casualty head-count--sometimes
literally. And can my recollection be so bad as to be candy-coating memories of
not that many years ago when America had many trusted allies and most border
crossings were routine and more welcoming than threatening?

It's one big, hot kitchen today. Pots are simmering on all
burners and there are plenty of cooks in line to stir them. Tension and
mistrust, pride and envy are a few of the base human ingredients being allowed
to fold into each other. Worst of all, emotionally rooted belief systems are at
odds with each other, being forced into the same recipe--one that is supposed
to be suitable for all palates.

We are living this socio-culinary experiment without a plan
B. The only satisfaction being found is for those with a taste for violence,
and that is being served up in many parts of the world.

Niche groups pushing aggressive, intolerant agendas and
imperial despots looking to expand horizons are leading the way. Keeping global
order will require a popular level of resolve that quite simply is not in place
among the masses who are instead determined to remain familiarly comfortable
for as long as possible. Surely, the vast majority of people in the world want
to opt for peace, but given the malleable passivity of the various large
majorities, significant various violent causes have little to fear, and their
momentum becomes virtually unstoppable at some point. Resisting or not
resisting that momentum ... either way, the global dynamic is changing
radically, in short order.

What Endures?

The question that has no sure answer--what will become of
the world? Those of us who prepare for potential crises would like to believe
that our own existence will be a positive experience.

But can we be sure? We cannot even forecast with assurance
the variables that will determine new realities. But those who feel there is
radical change ahead in some form are likely on track.

How comfortable can we hope to be? Will cultural traditions
such as family holidays, baseball, and Boy Scouts endure? Will institutions
such as freedom to worship and precedence of family continue unaltered? Will
representative government and personal liberties remain possible? Will public
utilities and food supplies be dependable? Will neighbors open their doors to
each other?

There are certainly lots of opinions on outcomes, causes,
and effects. In the end, what matters is the moment. Be ready to adapt and make
choices quickly based on your values and your position of readiness. At crunch
time, you may not have the opportunity to think through options, so it might be
best to solidify your philosophical outlook now. I can't spell that out for you
and no one else should either.

But one suggestion to take into consideration:death and suffering is not the worst-case
outcome to seek to avoid. It may very well be that a just cause or position of
belief is larger than any of us.

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